Burial-vault seal



Feb. 14, 192s. 1,659,472

l J. RECTOR ET AL BURIAL VAULT SEAL Filed April 21, 1927 j I 1 \ZZmxmmmmm --J J Reefer $7? Jones Patented Feb. 14, 1928.

UNITED STATES JESSE RECTOR AND THOMAS H. JONES, F ALBIA, IOWA.

BURIAL-VAULT SEAL.

Applicationilled April 21, 1927. Serial No. 185,583..

This invention relates to burial vaults of that charactenwherein thevault is formed of upstanding side walls having a recess to receive asealing compound andthe top of n the vault is provided with a marginalflange adapted to extend down into said recess and be embedded in thesealing compound. Heretofore, it has been necessarythat cement, gi'outor sealing material of likecharfo acter be mixed at the grave and placedwithin the sealing recess before the top is put on. Oftentimes this isdoneininclement weather and it is always disagreeable and a rather dirtyjob and requires an attendant to wait at the vault until the seal be setin orderl to complete the operation of sealing. Oftentimes this sealingis not completed or the sealing material, being improperly mixed, tendsto dry out or become brittle and the top is not `properly sealed uponthe vault, nor locked thereto so that the top may be readily removed.

One object of the present `invention is to provide a vault having asealing recess and provide means whereby sealing material may be placedwithin this recess before the vault leaves the factory, or at any rate,before the vault is used, this sealing compound being protected and heldin place by a layer of perforated paper which is more or lesspermanently attached to the vault so that when the cover or top `is puton it will rupture along the line of perforations and permit a propersealing of the top to the body of the vault.

still further object is to provide means whereby the sealing compound isnot only held in place, but prevented from' coming into contact with thehands or tools while the vault is being handled.

A still further object is to provide means whereby the top of the vaultis automatically locked upon the body as the top is lowered into place.

Our' invention is illustrated in the acronipariyingdrawings, whereinFigure 1 is a i'iertiealf sectional view et a vault constructed inaccordance with our invention Figure 2 is"y a fragmentaryverticalsection show'ing the body and top ofthe vault separated;

Figure 3' is like view of ]igi'lrel 2,y showing the body, and topbrought together and interlocked; y

Figure 4 is a sectional perspective view of the upper portion of thelbodyofthe vault showing the sealing material and paper coveringtherefor;

-Figure 5 is a like view of Figure 4 but without the .sealing material;

Figure. 6 is a view of the lookin member.

Referring to these drawings, 1t will be seen that we have illustrated a`vault formed in t wo sections 10 and 11. As disclosed, the section 11is the top section, butit is to be understood that the section lllmightbe the to section and ap roitimately the sume re su t secured. As 11ustrated, the section `10 is formed with a` thickened portion `12 alongits upper margin, this thickened lportion being recessed around itsentire edge as at 13. This recess is defined on one side by anupstandlng wall 14 which extends above the wall 15 which deiines theother side` of the recess. The inner face of the wall 15 is downwardlyand upwardly beveled and at the lower end of this inner face there isformed an' inwardly extending groove 16 so that in effect, the `wall 15is under-cut upon its inner face at this lower end. The top section 11is formed at its lower margin with a rabbet defined by a tonguewallrl?which extends upward and inward and at the )onction of the face of thiswall 17 with the `upper wall of the rabbet, there is formed theoutwardly extending groove 18.

Used in conjunction with these two sections are` the locking devices,one of which is shown in Figure 6.` Each locking device consists of ametallic member 1 9 bent so as to provide the right `angularly extendingflange 21.` At its upper end, the portion has the flange 20. At thejunction with this `portion 19 and the portion 21 there is provided theoutwardly projecting flange 22, These keys 19 or locking devices are:disposed at intervals in the bottom of the recess or trough 13 with theflange 21 extending upward and outward as shown in Figure 2, and theportion` 19 lying Vflat against the inclined face of the wall 15. Thesealing material 23 which as before remarked may be ofv asbestos, cementor grout disposed within the groove or channel 13 and filled aroundthese keys so as tohold these keys in the position shown in` Figure 2.A; strip of paper 24 is then disposed over the" face. of thee sealingmaterial `23 and this strip of paper is glued to the inside face of thmarginal wall of the lower section ofthe vault and extends upward andmayfextend over This paper is perforated along the line 25.

This paper covering holds the sealing coi'upound in place in the grooveout ot' sight and keeps it from coming in Contact with the hands ortools u' ien being handled.

Att-er the bottom section ot the vault has been placed it is onlynecessary to place the upper section or lid over the paper coveredgroove. The weight ot the upper section will break the paper at thevperiiorations and let the tongue members 17 of the upperv section embeditself in the sealing compound, forcing the sealing compound upward soas to till all crevices at all points ot' connection ot the top andbottom members ot the joint, thus eliminating the mixing or handling ot'the sealing compound at the place ot burial and eliminating thenecessity ot a Workman Waiting tor the sealing compound toV set. Thesealing compound Will be placed in the vault at the factory which willguarantee that the vault will be sealed when set and the sealing notomitted as occurs in many cases where seals are supposed to be mixed atthe time et burial and applied. Furthermore, it provides that a standardsealing composition may be used Whereas it the mixing of the sealingcomposition is lett to an ordinary Workman, the sealing composition mayor may not be of a proper consistency in character.

As the upper section oi. the vault slips into the sealing compound andthe tongue 17 nears the bottom of the groove 13, the lower edge ot thetongue will strike the flange Q1 causing the key 19 to rock from itsinitial position to a position Where the flange 2O will enter the groove18. Inasmuch as the flange 22 is engaged in the groove 16 and the flange20 is engaged in the groove 18, it .tolloufs that the uppersectherefore, detached.

tion oli the vault will be locked to the lower section and the uppersection cannot be, Thus.y We provide a means Vfor automatically lockingthe top and bottom sections' together. lVe claim Y l.' A burial vault'termed ot two sections, one ot said sections having the edge oi' itsmarginal Wall 'formed with a ove, the other section having the f 'e ofits marginal Wal formed vvith a tongue insertible into gfoove, sealingmaterial initially dis posed Within` said groove and filling the ame,and a covering oit material adheringI to the walls oi" the groove andextending across the upper 'tace ot the sealing material. said 'flexiblematerial being perforated longitudinally so that it may be torn alongthe line or" perforations ivhen the other section is disposed inconiunction with the section containing the sealing material.

2. A burial vault consisting ot ttvo sections, the marginal Wall et oneot' said sec- "ions being termed with a groove, the outer light andtlexible.

Wall of the groove being higher than the inner ivall and the groovebeing initially lilled with sealing material to the height of the innerwall, a paper covering for the sealing material initially disposed overthe top otl the sealing material and over the upper edge ot the innerand outer walls and adhering thereto, said paper covering beinglongitudinally perforated at its junction with the outer wall, and theother section being formed with a tongue insertible into said groove andadapted to break the paper covering along the line oit perfor-ationswhen so inserted.

3. A vault composed ot two sect-ions one otsaid sections havingupstanding Walls formed with a longitudinally extending groove, one Wallot the groove being undercut at its junction With the bottom of thegroove, the other section having a marginal. Wall formed with a tongueadapted to be inserted Within the groove, the Wall formed with thetongue being undercut, and a key having. a flange insert-ible into thefirst-named groove and having a flange adapted to interlock With theuudercut and second named section, the key being so formed that When thesections are forced together, the key will be rocked to bring the secondnamed flange into operative engagement With the second named undercut.

4. A vault consisting ol' an upper section and a lower Section, theupper section having an opstanding wall 'formed With a longitudinallyextending channel having an inclined inner tace, the bottom ot thechannel being termed with a groove extending beneath the inclined innertace oit the channel, the upper section being formed with a tonguehaving an inclined inner tace and adapted to tit Within the channel andhaving a groove ex tending inward ,trom the upper end ot the inclinedface, an d a locking key having right angularly disposed portions andadapted to be disposed Within the channel, the lovver end of the keybeing formed with an upwardly projecting flange and adapted to bedisposed Within the Erst named groove and constitute a ulcrum upon whichthe key may lock. the upper end of the key being formed with .-1 flangeprojecting in an opposite direction from the iirst named frange andadapted to be engaged in the first named4 groove when the upper sectionof the vault has been dis posed upon the lower sect-ion of the vault` 5.A 'vault composed of tivo section". one of said sect-ions having achannel and the other a tongue litting into said channel, a lockingmember disposed Within the channel` relatively sott sealing material.disposed Within the channel and over the locking member and holding thelocking member against accidental detachment from the channel, thelocking member being engageable with the tongue ot the other section ofthe vault when the tongue has been lowered into the channel to apredetermined Seating tion has been disposed upon the lower section andthe tongue has been forced down into the channel, said looking memberson a full depression of the upper section swinging into lockingengagement with said upper sec` tion.

In testimony whereof We hereunto affix our signatures.

JESSE RECTOR. THGMAS H. JONES.

